Long Way Home
by TheFoxPack
Summary: When Kenpachi loses a comrade on the battlefield, what will he do?


A/N: A collaborative effort by SesshomaruFreak and SalazarMarvolo.

Disclaimer: We don't own anything.

Note: Kenpachi and Rukia Deathfic. Hints of KenBya. If you squint. So squint hard.

Warning: Graphic depiction of death

* * *

The battle had been intense, an error in the report leading to a failed mission. Kenpachi had found himself battling next to the princess's little sister. The hollows were plentiful and vicious. He'd even had to remove his eyepatch.

Now, the hollows were dead. But as he looked around, he didn't see Rukia. Fuck. The princess would eviscerate him if something happened to the girl.

Then he caught a faint thread of her energy. But it was so weak... Frowning, he followed it to a massive hollow body. He lifted the body, only to see its claws buried in Rukia's chest.

Fuck.

Rukia was gasping. Staring in horror and disbelief at the claws that were piercing her chest, prodding out of her back.

A dull ache was the only thing registering in her mind even as blood gushed from her wound and mouth. A vicious cough worked its way out of her lungs, splattering the otherwise pristine white haori of the Captain of the Eleventh.

Zaraki gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath as he helplessly stared down at the small, frail-looking woman.

"Z-Zaraki-taich-" The woman rasped before her body was wracked by another round of coughs.

Kenpachi didn't know what to do.

This was not a situation that he could solve with brute force. Nor could he solve it with his immense spiritual pressure. Speaking of...he put his eyepatch back on, knowing his raging energy was putting more pressure on his comrade.

Another blood-filled cough rent the air. He knelt next to the smaller Soul Reaper, looking at the long claws impaling her and unsure if he should leave them or try to pull them out.

He didn't know what to do.

Another curse flew from his lips. For the first time, he was lamenting the fact that he skipped any training in Kido whatsoever. Anyone else would be able to start healing her, stop the bleeding. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Oi, you. What's your name?" he asked her. Knowing that keeping her awake and talking was something that needed to be done. He had seen it often enough after one of his fights, him nearly killing whichever idiot had decided to stand up against him and said idiot's friends doing their utmost to keep them awake.

"You can't die here you know? What would that Princess of your brother say to that, eh?"

Rukia blinked up at him with hazy blue eyes. Zaraki swallowed against the reminder that ' _this could be Yachiru, this could be her bleeding right in front of you. And you wouldn't be able to do shit!'_

But the girl didn't answer, only a blood-garbled moan. Dammit, this was serious. He reached out to carefully support her head, again cursing his slacker attitude towards kido.

Light began to fade around them and in her eyes. Weakly, she grasped his haori. "Tell...Niisama...tell him...I'm s-sorry..."

Another bloody cough shook her small frame. She gasped out, "I...fa-failed."

Kenpachi had seen many wounds on the battlefield. Rukia's were far too severe for her petite build. She was going to die, and he would have to take her to Byakuya, and tell the princess that Rukia had died on his watch.

Died, because he couldn't be bothered to figure out his Zanpaukto's name, go to the Academy or learn that which every other Shinigami had learned.

He closed his eyes, cringing internally as his heart gave a painful squeeze for the young life coming to an end right in front of him. This wasn't Rukongai. This wasn't the outer districts, where one only fought for themselves. He could have saved her if, in his battle crazed state, he could have been bothered to check on her.

He suppressed the tremble in his hands as he gently reached out.

"Grit your teeth, girl. This isn't going to be pretty." That was all the warning he gave as he took ahold of the claws still protruding from her Body and _pulled._

Blood bubbled up like a fountain from the gruesome wound, lifeblood headed for and coming from her heart. A blood-muffled scream tore through the young woman, a sound Kenpachi would never forget and would later think of as her death cry.

She failed about weakly, her instinctive last attempt to avoid death.

Then, she went still, a last breath wheezing out through the blood.

Kenpachi knelt there for almost an hour before trying to clean the small body. He had to get rid of all the blood before presenting her to a brother that would rightfully never forgive him.

He shrugged out of his haori and wrapped her small form into it tightly, cleaning her face and closing her eyes with surprisingly gentle movements. When he was done he picked her up slowly, balancing her in his arms like one would a child.

"I'll take you home," he told her. Knowing that his words would never reach her ears. No words ever would again.

With one last glare at the beasts behind him he turned and walked away.

He carried her all the way back, approaching the Kuchiki manor slowly. The princess was already standing outside, waiting in the sunset light.

Kenpachi walked up the path to where Byakuya stood on the porch. When he reached the end of the path, he met those steel eyes.

"I'm sorry, Byakuya." The noble took Rukia's body from him and turned away, disappearing without a word.

He waited for several moments to see if the princess was coming back to neuter him. When that didn't happen, he turned and walked to his quarters. Ignoring Yachiru's chatter, he sat down on the edge of his futon. Finally, he told his 'daughter' that they were going to start kido lessons tomorrow. Then he laid down and tried to lose himself in sleep.

He never expected the funeral invitation that was delivered the next day.

X~X~X~X

He stared down at the parchment in his hands, elegant black writing on the front addressed to 'Zaraki Kenpachi'.

It was staring back at him, taunting him. A growl left his throat, he had thought about throwing it away, not bothering with the etiquettes of some noble...but then again. He had seen her die. Had seen the life leave those big, unsuspecting blue eyes. And he had yet to pass on her last words.

Two days he had spent contemplating whether he should attend or not.

"Ken-chan! Are we gonna start with the pesky Kido now?" Yachiru asked him like she had every day since his announcement, chipper voice breaking through his thoughts.

"...No. Not right now, Yachiru," he answered yet again, voice devoid of madness and mirth for once. Yachiru tilted her head in confusion, slowly she walked over to her surrogate Father, taking the invitation from his hands gently. She opened it and looked at its contents, face showing nothing of her thoughts.

"...You should hurry, Ken-chan," she told him, earnest gaze meeting his. "You don't want to miss it, do you?"

Prodded by his little girl, who could have just as easily been the one to die out there, Kenpachi stood and changed into the cleanest, least-ripped uniform he had. His haori had been cleaned and returned to him, a stunning gesture.

But upon further thought, he decided not to wear it today. He'd failed as a captain and wouldn't wear the symbol of his failure to the funeral of the one he'd failed. The irony would just be too cruel.

He left his hair down instead of spiking it, tying it in a low ponytail instead, and put on his best eyepatch. He took a deep breath and headed out to the Kuchiki manor where the funeral was being held. On his arrival, he saw that none of Byakuya's other noble relatives were present. He knew her Rukon roots had caused friction around her adoption, but to not come to her _funeral?_ Fuck. Them.

Kenpachi caught sight of Byakuya standing alone where he should have been surrounded by family. It was a heart-wrenching sight.

Bypassing the other grievers, he slowly approached Byakuya. The princess's face was stoic, but there was profound sadness in those dark eyes that rose to him. Byakuya stared for a moment, then returned his gaze to the small coffin.

Kenpachi carefully moved to his fellow captain's side, standing with him in solidarity. If his family wasn't gonna show, then by Kami _someone_ was gonna stand by Byakuya in his time of grieving.

They did not speak at first. Opting to remain silent as they stood and paid their respects. A united front, not as Captains but as men.

The scene of her last moments kept replaying itself in his head over and over again. A torturous, vicious circle of self-doubt and loathing. The silence stretched. With a sigh, Kenpachi reached out and took a firm hold of Byakuya's shoulder.

"...She asked me to apologize to you...for failing..." He knew these words had to hurt, these last words coming from the mouth of a dying relative, begging to be forgiven something they could not be blamed for. Yet he knew that he had to convey them, in honor of her sacrifice. In honor of her life and strength.

His hand grabbed Byakuya's shoulder tighter as he felt the tremors shake his body, a desperate attempt to conceal his emotions as his mask of stoicism cracked.

Kenpachi quickly moved so his massive body hid Byakuya from the other mourners. Alarm and sorrow pierced him at the sight of tears rising in the amethyst eyes. The stoic mask had completely cracked and was crumbling. Those wide, teary eyes rose to him, full of the desperate struggle to maintain control.

He nodded, speaking quietly. "It's ok. You're doin' good. Don't worry."

He still held a quivering shoulder in one hand. He subtly pulled the noble closer into something resembling a one-armed hug.

And to his utmost surprise the noble didn't fight it, didn't question or reject the arm holding him, nor the body shielding him from view.

Byakuya swallowed heavily, he had not felt like this since Hisana's death. Hers at the least had been expected and had left him with the task of finding her sister. Protecting her sister. He had failed. Once again, he had failed to keep a promise and this time, he was left with nothing but grief and pain.

"...Thank you..." Byakuya said softly, voice cracking and so quiet it could hardly be understood were it not for the close proximity they were holding to one another. Kenpachi looked at his face, searching for a reason for the sudden proclamation.

The black-haired noble directed his gaze towards him, stunning eyes that held grief and pain and suffering, holding his own for a few precious moments.

"...Thank you for bringing her home." he mouthed, too overwhelmed by emotion to speak any louder. Kenpachi nodded slowly, his hand remaining in place and squeezing him closer for a moment.

No further words were needed as they stood next to each other. A united front.


End file.
